Benchmarking

AIM :-

Prepare a report explaining what constitutes a comparative assessment, compare a minimum of four vehicles and provide a preliminary conclusion for the report, suggesting an appropriate vehicle among the comparisons made.

REQUIREMENTS :-

1. Spacious interior cabs and Big Car look from the outside (as the client is fond of large cars).
2. Good car to make it easy to get around the city and long road as well.
3. 5 seats for his family members.
4. 8-10 Iakhs rupees (on road price) budget.

BENCHMARKING :-

Benchmarking is a process of measuring the performance of a company’s products, services, or processes against those of another business considered to be the best in the industry, aka “best in class.”

Benchmarking is aimed at identifying opportunities for improvement internally. By studying companies with superior performance, breaking down what makes such superior performance possible, and comparing those processes to how your business operates, you can implement changes that will yield significant improvements.

That might mean tweaking a product’s features to more closely match a competitor’s offering, or changing the scope of services you offer, or installing a new customer relationship management (CRM) system to enable more personalized communications with customers.

Step by Step Benchmarking -

1. Choose a product, service or internal service for the reference point.
2. Identify the best companies you should compare yourself to – which organisations you will compare your company to.
3. Collect information about their internal performance or measurements.
4. Compare data from the two organisations to identify gaps in your company's performance.
5. Adopt the processes and policies in place among the highest performing employees.

Benifits -

Compare data collected both numerically and descriptively.

1. Improving employee understanding of cost structures and internal processes.
2. Promote teamwork and cooperation to enhance competitiveness.
3. Increase awareness of key performance metrics and opportunities for improvement across the business.

Benchmarking Procedure -

• Considerations:

1. Before an organisation can fully benefit from benchmarking, its own processes need to be well understood and mastered.
2. Benchmarking studies require significant investments of manpower and time, so management must champion the process all the way through, including being ready and willing to make changes based on what is learned.
3. If the reach is too large, the project will fail. An issue that is not essential to the success of the organization will not yield enough advantages to make the study interesting.
4. Insufficient resources may also condemn comparative research by underestimating effort or inadequate planning. The more you prepare for this, the more effective your study will be.

• Plan:

1. Identify a narrow focus of the comparative study. Choose a key issue for the success of the organization.
2. Create a cross-functional team. During Phases 1 and 2, management objectives and study support need to be firmly established.
3. Consider your own process. Know how the work is performed and measure outcomes.
4. Identify partner organisations that could have best practices.

• Collect:

1. Gather information directly through partner organizations. Gather process descriptions and numerical data through questionnaires, phone interviews and/or site visits.

• Analyze:

1. Compare data collected both numerically and descriptively.
2. Determine the discrepancies between your performance measures and those of your partners.
3. Identify differences in practices that contribute to deficiencies.

• Adapt:

1. Set objectives for your organizational process.
2. Develop action plans to reach these targets.
3. Implementation and oversight of plans.

Benchmarking Examples -

1. Reduce residence vacancy rates to below 1%.
2. Improve student satisfaction levels.
3. Make the best use of staff time and effort.

The department chose benchmarking as the basis for the improvement project after realizing that other universities already had better processes Carleton could learn from and quickly implement without needing to re-engineer the process from scratch.

Types of Benchmarking -

1. Performance Benchmarking: Benchmarking includes the collection and comparison of quantitative data (e.g. key performance measures or indicators). Benchmarking is typically the first action that organizations take to identify performance gaps.
2. Practice Benchmarking: Benchmarking practices include the collection and comparison of qualitative information on how an activity is carried out using people, processes and technologies.
3. Internal Benchmarking: Internal benchmarking compares measures (performance benchmarking) and/or practices (practice benchmarking) of different units, product lines, services, programs, geographies, etc. within the organization.
4. External Benchmarking: External benchmarking compares an organisation's measures and/or practices to one or more others.

Importance of Benchmarking -

Comparative analysis is a widely used global management process, which is very useful for the development and success of the organization. However, most industries are not using the benchmarking process as an effective tool to improve their performance and productivity.

1. Strategy
2. Structure
3. Leadership
4. Cost
5. Investment
6. Business economics
7. Staffing
8. Skills
9. Talent
10. Services
11. Activities

Advantages of Benchmarkings -

1. Quality of Work
2. Implements Creative Ideas
3. Increased Competitions
4. Developing Improvements

Suggested Cars :-

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

Mahindra XUV300

Tata Nexon

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

Fuel & Performance
Fuel Type	Petrol	Diesel	Diesel	Petrol
Mileage (City)		17.0 kmpl
Mileage (ARAI)	20.51 kmpl	20.1 kmpl	23.22 kmpl	20.65 kmpl
Fuel Tank Capacity	45.0 (Litres)	42.0 (Litres)	44.0 (Litres)	43.0 (Litres)
Emission Norm Compliance	BS VI	BS VI	BS VI 2.0	BS VI

Suspension, Steering & Brakes
Front Suspension	Mac Pherson Strut & Coil Spring	MacPherson Strut with Anti-roll Bar	Independent, Lower Wishbone, McPherson Strut with Coil Spring	McPherson
Rear Suspension	Torsion Beam & Coil Spring	Twist Beam Suspension with Coil Spring	Semi-Independent; closed profile Twist beam with Coil Spring and shock absorber	Torsion Beam
Steering Type	-	Power	Electric	Power
Steering Column	Tilt	-	-	Tilt
Turning Radius (Metres)	5.2	5.3	5.1	5.4
Front Brake Type	Disc	Disc	Disc	Ventilated Disc
Rear Brake Type	Drum	Disc	Drum	Drum
Braking (100-0kmph)	45.77m	-	-	-
Emission Norm Compliance	BS VI	BS VI	BS VI 2.0	BS VI
Tyre Size	185/65 R15	205/65 R16	195/60 R16	185/65 R15
Tyre Type	Tubeless, Radial	Tubeless, Radial	Tubeless,Radial	Tubeless, Radial
Wheel Size	15	16	16	-

CONCLUSION :-

It is hard to tell which car is definitively "better" because it depends on your specific needs and preferences. Every vehicle has its own strengths and weaknesses.

The Ertiga is a popular choice for families, with a spacious passenger compartment and seating for up to 7 passengers. It is also fuel efficient and has good handling for its size.

The XUV300 is a subcompact SUV with good road holding, comfortable driving and a range of advanced safety features. It also features a strong engine and a spacious cabin.

The Nexon is another sub-compact SUV with an elegant design and driving comfort. It offers energy efficiency and a range of features, including a touchscreen infotainment system and a sun roof.

The Ciaz is a medium-sized sedan with a spacious cab, comfortable handling and good fuel consumption. It also has a range of features, including a touch screen media system and a backup camera.

As a result, I would choose Ertiga.

The Ertiga is a popular compact MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) produced by Suzuki. Here are some reasons why it is considered a good car:

1. Spacious Interior: Despite being a compact vehicle, the Ertiga offers a roomy cabin with ample headroom, legroom, and shoulder room for passengers. The third-row seats are foldable, which makes it easy to adjust the seating arrangement and provide extra cargo space.

2. Fuel Efficient: The Ertiga is designed to be fuel-efficient, with a smaller engine and lightweight construction that helps it achieve high fuel economy ratings. This makes it an ideal car for daily commutes, long drives, and family vacations.

3. Affordable Price: The Ertiga is an affordable car that offers good value for money. It has a reasonable price tag compared to other MPVs in its class, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious buyers.

4. Comfortable Ride: The Ertiga has a smooth suspension that provides a comfortable ride on rough roads. The seats are comfortable, and the car's air conditioning system is powerful enough to keep the cabin cool even on hot days.

5. Good Safety Features: The Ertiga comes equipped with advanced safety features such as ABS, EBD, dual airbags, and ISOFIX child seat mounts, which help to keep passengers safe in case of an accident.

Overall, the Ertiga is a good car that offers a combination of affordability, fuel efficiency, spacious interior, and safety features, making it an ideal choice for families and individuals who need a reliable and practical car for their daily commute and occasional long drives